CHICAGO (CBSDC) – Come the November general election, close to 1 million minority voters under the age of 30 could be affected by voter ID laws implemented in 17 states, according to a new study.

Between 700,000 and 1 million minority voters under 30 are expected to be unable to place a vote thanks to recently implemented voter suppression laws, with a potential drop-off in turnout amongst these voters to be close to 700,000, according to a study from the Black Youth Project.

The study, which was conducted by Cathy Cohen of the University of Chicago and Jon Rogowski of Washington University in St. Louis, found that the new photo requirements would potentially hurt young black and Hispanic voters the most. The study found that the turnout amongst young minority voters would drop from somewhere between 538,000 and 696,000 thanks to the new voter ID laws. Cohen and Rogowski estimated that between 170,000 to 475,000 young black voters would be affected, while another 68,000 to 250,000 young Hispanic voters could face the same consequences.

The study from the Black Youth Project, a non-partisan initiative that looks at the voting participation of young black voters, also paints a picture of the disproportionate percentages between Caucasian and minority voters whom have appropriate photo IDs. According to Cohen and Rogowski’s research, 25 percent of black voters and 16 percent of Hispanic voters do not have a government-issued ID, compared to just 9 percent of white voters who don’t have a government-issued ID.

The findings could be significant in regard to President Barack Obama’s chances for re-election. When he ran and defeated Sen. John McCain in 2008, then-Sen. Obama capitalized on that voting demographic, using his influence with those voters to help catapult him to the White House.

The research is the latest addition to the speculation of what role voter ID laws could have in deciding the general election between President Obama and GOP nominee Mitt Romney. Recently, the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University released a report that outlined how 3.2 million of the 29 million citizens of voting age in five states do not have a state-issued ID, accounting for about 11 percent of the eligible voters in those states.